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Insanity
Insanity is an option open to gamesmasters which enables the players to further develop the personalities of their characters. The idea is to simulate the stresses and mental trauma suffered by characters during their adventures, stresses which may, over time, lead to rather odd character traits. These traits may manifest themselves as neuroses of various kinds, more severe mental illnesses, drug or alcohol dependency, or total inability to cope. To start with, gamesmasters have enough on their hands without needing the added complications of enforcing these factors on their players. The players, too, will need to establish what is the game norm before they will be able to go off into the abnormal. These Insanity rules are therefore recommended only for more experienced gamers. Gaining Insanity Points Insanity points are gained as follows: *'Critical Hits:' One point is gained each time a character takes a Critical Hit. The point remains once any resulting injuries are healed and it is possible for a character to gain a great many points this way. *'Terror:' 1 point is gained each time the character fails a Terror test. *'Deleriants:' Insanity points may be gained as a result of using deleriant poisons. *'Other:' Points may also be gained at the GM's discretion for any experience of a particularly horrible or disturbing kind - suffering torture, for example, or encounters with particularly vile creatures of Chaos. The GM should decide how many insanity points are at stake and impose a Cl test. If the test is passed, no insanity points are incurred, but if the test is failed, the character gains the number of insanity points decided upon by the GM. There are several ways in which this can be done: *A set number of points (1, 2, 3, etc.). *A number determined by the result of the Cl test (e.g., 1 point for each whole 10 points by which the test is failed). *A random number (e.g., D4, D6). Note that insanity points caused by encounters with gods and daemons are covered in the rules on Terror - if the character passes the resulting Terror test, no extra insanity points are incurred. The Result Of Gaining Insanity Points Characters with 6 or more insanity points must make a Cl test immediately; character with less than 6 points need not test. If the test is passed, there is no immediate effect, although the insanity point total remains the same and the character must make this test again the next time additional insanity points are gained. If the first or any subsequent test is failed, the character develops a disorder but loses 6 insanity points. Disorders A character who failes the test outlined above becomes afflicted by a disorder. Whenever appropriate, the gamesmaster should choose an appropriate disorder from the list below. For example, a character whose illness was brought on by being tortured by a band of Orcs might develop a Fear of Orcs, while a character who had developed a disorder through excessive use of a deleriant poison may become Addicted to the drug. When it is not possible to pick an appropriate disorder, the GM should roll a D100 and select an entry from the list below: Minor Disorders: These can be regarded as the side-effects of mental trauma. They have a less serious effect on the character than the disorders listed above. Where it is not possible to choose a minor disorder, roll D100: Curing Disorders If the science of medicine is in its infancy in the Old World, psychotherapy is even more primitive. The options open to a character requiring treatment for Insanity are severely limited, usually painful, and often dangerous. Asylums: The common reaction to characters of questionable sanity is either to let them wander the streets with beggars and the other dregs of society or to 'put them away' in an asylum. Since asylum owners charge a fee for their services, this latter option is generally only available to the more well-to-do, who pay handsomely to avoid the embarassment of having a member of the family wandering about as a known lunatic. Asylums are little better than dungeons: patients receive no treatment and are often subject to abuse by staff and other inmates. A spell in an asylum can often result in the patient's condition deteriorating, as their purpose is to keep lunatics confined rather than to cure them. Surgery: A surgical approach can occasionally produce results, but in many cases the treatment is worse than the affliction. The generally accepted surgical treatments for personality disorders are the removal of a portion of the skull to relieve pressure on the brain or the application of red-hot irons to the head. A surgeon will generally agree to administer one of these cures, on two conditions. Firstly, a fee of at least 50 GCs must be paid in advance (although the amount may be reduced by bargaining) and, secondly, the patient or someone who has legal responsibility for the patient must sign a document exempting the surgeon from all legal liability resulting from the treatment going wrong. This done, the GM should test against the surgeon's Int and consult the following chart: Each attempt at surgical treatment will cause D3 W'''; in addition, each application of hot irons will reduce the character's '''Fel by D6 points owing to scarring. Optionally, the GM may rule that the character's Fel is increased by this amount when dealing with races who respect scars, such as Orcs and Hobgoblins. Drug Treatment: This is the least painful option open to characters suffering from personality disorders. A physician, herbalist, or pharmacist will supply the characters with drugs for a fee of 10 GCs per week, which may be reduced by bargaining. The drugs are supplied in batches, each batch containing the doseage for a week and the character must take one dose per day. The GM should test the Int of the character preparing each batch and consult the following table: If another disorder is brought on by unsuccessful drug treatment, it will usually be an addiction to the drug used in the treatment. Magical and Mystical Cures: Characters may try to seek out magical cures for disorders. Any character with Manufacture Potions skill may be able to produce a potion which will suppress the disorder. The manufacturer of the potion must make an Int test, consulting the chart for drug treatment above. The GM should note that each potion lasts for a month rather than a day and will cost at least 100 GCs (subject to bargaining). At the GM's option, Faith Healers may be able to cure disorders, making a WP test and consulting the chart for drug treatment above. Category:Rules Category:Insanity